Our host at the Copperstone Inn, Gary, went fishing today. He brought us this Ling Cod, which he described as, "living less than 3 hours ago...not as good as salmon." Well, it was very good! We spent a little time on the beach this morning, and at mid-day drove north about 30 km to Tofino, where we had lunch. After lunch, we walked a little while around the little town, and bought a loaf of peasant bread at the bakery. Tofino is a real surfer's town, used to be a fishing village. Tourism has bitten the village, and there are several new 'resort' hotels on the beach at the edge of the town. I looked one up in the LP, and they had it listed with rooms starting at $279/night. A little pricey for us! The town has gotten known for it's surf, and has attracted lots of young people. Still pretty quiet by most standards, but I'm still very glad to be staying in Ucluelet.
Gary's fish had to wait for this sunset. The temps went up several degrees when the sun set, very strange. We ate on the porch. I made some bread crumbs from some of the bread we bought today, along with some finely chopped oats (as in oatmeal), and some sesame seeds. I had garlic and olive oil and a couple of eggs for a light batter, cooked in a skillet on the grill, along with a salad, it was a FINE meal. Thank you, Gary!
I woke up about 4am, and went out on the porch. The sky was filled with stars, more than I've ever seen, and even at 4am, I could see the surf out beyond the rocks. By the time we woke up in the morning, the view was totally different...
The little beach is not visible at all! A damp day for the beach, but the tide is low at 9:30, and we want to explore the tide pools, so we're going anyway. There was no one on the beach, and we almost walked into the rocks before we could see them. After a couple of hours, the sun had heated the air enough for some of the fog to disappear.
The tide left much to explore: lots of Bull kelp on the beach, which the little burrowing animals loved; anemones of every size in the standing water, hermit crabs and little bitty shrimp. We spent about 3 hours poking around the huge rocks. Just off shore, another rock was the lounging spot for a group of sea lions. Too far away to see clearly, but we could just make them out. No surfer's at this beach, too far from Tofino, I guess. But, the waves were awesome!
Stuart had questions about the rocks here, so we went back to the visitor's center, and learned that these rocks are part of the Pacific Plate. The San Juan Plate is under the eastern side of the island, and one day there is going to be a Big Earthquake, which will probably break the island in half. Waterfront property, anyone? We also learned that the road from Nanaimo to the western side of the island didn't exist until 1959, and then it was a rough logging road mostly connecting Port Alberni with the west coast. The road was finally paved in 1979! Wonder how those fishing folks got electricity?
Later in the afternoon, we hiked a trail along the coastal bog, ending at Florencia Beach. So named for a ship that foundered and sank at this little cove in the late 1800's. We saw a pod of whales! Well worth the hike, even though our legs were tired.
We had a lovely last supper on the porch, I made a fish stew from the leftover fish and some carrot, potato and onion. Delicious! Debbie and Gary came down after dinner, and we had a very nice visit. I'm going to miss this serene house, and the beautiful view. We have enjoyed getting to know them, and I hope they'll come for a SE coast visit one day.
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